They are members of the mission from the European democracy and election monitoring institute, deputies from the European parliament, international law experts and known human rights activists

MOSCOW, March 15, 10:40 /ITAR-TASS/. The mission of international observers had begun working in Crimea, the mission coordinator, the director of the European Geopolitical Analysis Centre, Mateusz Piskorski, told Itar-Tass by telephone.

Thirty people are members of the mission from the European democracy and election monitoring institute (Brussels) representatives from Poland, Austria, France, Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Italy and Latvia, including deputies from the European parliament, members of national parliaments of European countries, leading European international law experts and known human rights activists.

The observers planned to visit all the Crimean regions and study whether procedures to prepare for and hold the referendum complied with the local legislation and international standards to organize plebiscites, Piskorski said, adding among the mission member were people with rich experience of election monitoring in European and CIS countries.

"The mission has arrived in Crime at the invitation of the republic's election commission," he said.

The mission would draw a final conclusion based on the monitoring results, he added

The Crimean Supreme Council on March 6 decided on Crimea's joining to the Russian Federation. The referendum will be held on March 16 for the population to decide whether to join Russia or support the 1992 constitution and the status of Crimea as a part of Ukraine.